However, I think she gets a lot of flak for using non-accessible ingredients. I think there's a bit of truth to this. In my nearest Rachael Ray cookbook, I flipped through some of the pages to find the following ingredients peppered through her recipes: palm, eel, vermouth, sake, haddock, and sopressata. I mean, who really has these type of ingredients on hand, anyway? I don't even know what half of them are!

With that said, I still adore Racheal Ray. With each of the strange recipes she puts out, there's about 50 family-friendly and completely accessible ones on top of them. She has entire books dedicated to quick meals, family meals, but also meals for chefs alike.

I tried out another one of her recipes yesterday and it was absolutely wonderful! I was at first a little hesitant of the whole "BLT Smashed Potatoes" idea. But the flavors from the crunchy Bacon, lavish Leeks and juicy Tomatoes were far too much fun mixed in with our beloved red smashed potatoes.

This recipe originally was for flank steaks, but we couldn't find any at our local supermarket. So I settled for some thin sirloin tip steaks, and it was plenty for two of us. I also added a little more bacon, a splash of milk, and used less cayenne (recipe below reflects my changes). Ryan told me to add his "Official Husband Stamp of Approval" on this entire meal - especially the BLT Smashed Potatoes.

Mix together garlic, grill seasoning, paprika, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, and EVOO in a shallow dish. Place meat in the dish, coating it evenly in the marinade. Cover with lid and let stand 15 min/overnight.

Leave small potatoes whole, and cut larger potatoes in half. Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Cover pot. Bring to a boil, remove lid, then cook potatoes until tender - about 12 to 15 minutes.

Heat up your grill over high heat. (We have a mini outdoor grill)

Cut leek in half lengthwise. Chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Place leeks in a small bowl of water and swish around to separate the layers. Drain leeks in colander.

Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add a drizzle of EVOO and cook your bacon until crisp. Remove bacon, and add in leeks. Cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add in tomatoes and heat through, about 1 minute.

Drain potatoes and return to hot pot. Smash potatoes with potato masher or whisk. Add in your leek/tomato mixture and bacon. Add in sour cream, splash of milk, and butter. Stir together, but not too much - leave some chunks. Season with salt and pepper.

Grill steak, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove thin steaks from grill and let it sit for a few minutes before slicing into them. Cut against the grain, and serve next to the BLT potatoes.